Issho ni Tatte (Standing Together)
by Fukuro D. Nox
Summary: Growing up is complicated. As your life passes before your eyes, so too does the once innocent world you thought was filled with rainbows and unicorns. In this world of iron and blood, three former friends must learn to stand together and overcome the obstacles that stand in their way. However, two questions remain. Can they actually do it? Or are they doomed to fail? OC centered.
1. A Hurt Like No Other

_Fire. _

_Raging, roaring, Devouring. Burning the surrounding area with dancing flames._

_Metal. _

_Clashing, whistling, flashing. Cutting those foolish to stand against it down._

_Screams. _

_Shrill, loud, commanding. Shouting cacophonously into the stenching air._

_Death. _

_Unmoving, lifeless, corpses. Consuming the fatally wounded or those who suffocated._

_Blood. _

_Metallic, red, pungent. Running like a calm river filled with thick liquids._

_It was all around him. Blurred vision due from the tears clouding his eyes as ash fell to the ground like snow. Intense heat contacted his skin, sweat pouring from every part of his body, matting his hair down to his forehead. Clothes sticking uncomfortably to his chest, mouth hung open in fear. He was shaking. He was paralyzed, frozen, as he witnessed what one could only be called a battle to the death. _

_Their screams filled his ears. Their burnt flesh climbed into his nose. Their blood staining his pants. A weapon in his hand. Black, leaf shaped, cold. Pointed, glinting, ringed._

_How did it get there? A body in front of him. Why was it there? Unmoving, dark red liquid pooling. Facedown, single spot. Behind him. He was behind him. Had he moved? He was just over there with his Guard. A woman looking at him. Her eyes were quivering. Wait. Not a woman. Familiar? A spark. Mom. It was mom. Why was she crying?_

_His heart was beating fast. Was his breathing coming quicker? His fists feel a little uncomfortable. He looks down. They were shaking badly. Knuckles white around the hilt. A grip upon them that he didn't know he had. Was it from the force? Or was he scared? _

_What was going on? What was this? Everything… Everyone… Why was this happening? Why them? It was supposed to be so simple. It was supposed to be fun. No. This wasn't fun… This wasn't simple… More flashes. More death. More blood. More roaring. More clashing. More screams. Louder, clearer, unscrambled, coming. Quicker. Faster. Spinning. Darker. It was getting darker. It was getting darker…. Darker… Darker… Then…_

_Silence._

_Piercing that tenebrous veil. A voice. His name. _

**Say You Won't Let Go**

"Kosetsu!" A voice shouts out, causing the boy's head to shoot up with a wide almost panicked look within them, as he was knocked from the prison that's called his mind. They held a sort of feral look to them, his heart hammering inside his chest a little as the experience of the past causes a lingering effect on him. His eyes flickered from left to right, trying to find some unseen enemy before he was able to find and connect his gaze to the concerned look on his sensei's, Umino Iruka's, face. He then noticed out of the corner of his only visible eye, that people were staring at him which made him focus only at the front. Blinking a couple of times, the despairing and hopeless feeling he had obtained seemed to subside, and he started to feel a little better.

He wanted to sink further into himself as he felt the entire class's eyes upon him. He really didn't like it when people stared at him, because honestly, he didn't know how to handle it. Especially when they all wore _that _look upon their faces. "Are you ok?" The concerned tone in the teacher's voice causes him to look to the side, not wanting to give away the lie he was about to tell, even if he was already found out pretty much. But it would at least pay off if he managed to put up a front.

"Y-yes sir…" He said quietly, his voice not even above a whisper, which makes him wince at the volume and the slight stutter that was prevalent throughout the quiet room. then takes a small, calming breath before squaring his shoulders. Looking up with dark gray eyes, he smiles disarmingly at the scarred man, showing just how 'fine' he was. "I'm just fine Iruka-sensei. No need to worry at all about me." He made a mistake. Getting lost like that in public? How stupid was he? That was something that he couldn't afford to happen and yet…. 'Darn it…' he cursed himself on the inside for his slip up. "I was just daydreaming about how much of an awesome ninja I'm going to be."

Iruka kept giving him a tough stare, his eyes slightly narrowed searchingly. Kosetsu kept perfectly still, his smile plastered across his face as if it were painted there. It was the perfect picture of innocence, something that most teachers wouldn't think twice about… But he wasn't most teachers.

Chewing the bottom of his lip, Iruka was close to pursuing the subject but having his muddy brown eyes sweep across the classroom, he decides to drop it. If not to try and keep the lesson going, then to try and keep the boy from being any more embarrassed than what he was feeling now, smile or no. So with hesitation, he relented for now, coming to a quick decision to get the kid to talk to him after class if he could.

Opening his mouth to try and get the class back on track to what he had previously, Iruka began to turn around and continue the discussion about the mathematical equations for trajectory of shurikens and kunai when he was interrupted by a rather rambunctious and rowdy kid… With an internal sigh, Iruka suppressed the urge to facepalm as the kid began to point at his other student who just so happened to be at odds with him at every turn and every second. Things can never be easy for him can they.

"HAHA, are YOU kidding ME?!" Yelled the ever boisterous Inuzuka Kiba, a member of the Inuzuka clan. His canine like teeth bared in a wolfish grin as he stood up from his seat, staring at his black-haired classmate "A civilian like _you_? Become a ninja?" He laughed at the thought, causing other civilian kids to squirm a bit in their own chair. It was no secret that kids that were born in predominantly civilian class families had a very low rate of graduating unless you were a genius. "You'll never be able to hang with the big dogs, like me!"

Some snickering can be heard from some of the students in the room. Forced mixed with giddy, filled the room while others either scoffed at the brunette's proclamation or rolled their eyes in exasperation. For the white-haired boy himself, on the other hand, he felt a smoldering heat igniting in his chest and his eyes narrowed thinly, fists clenched in anger as his jaw ticked irritably. "Say that again dog breath." He retorted, the grin on Kiba's face falling off and turning into a snarl. "No one wants to have to smell your reeking dog food breakfast you undoubtedly ate this morning." After that was said, the feral boy growled menacingly.

"Coming from a clanless piece of trash like you, it doesn't mean much." Seeing the boy's glare intensify, his point returned. "Besides, how could a pussy ever-"

"Inuzuka Kiba! Watch it!" Iruka shouted, drawing the attention of the class back to him. The man's face was livid, looking to both with sharp looks. Honestly, these kids… "Both of you should know better than to talk like that. Especially here in the classroom and against each other when are all Konohoans and shouldn't antagonize each other. You will both be working together in the future in order to better protect the Leaf village and so this sort of behavior is unacceptable." Finish with his rant, he stopped to stare at the two with a fierce look, noticing the cowed look on the boys, their faces burning with shame. Nodding his head at a job well done, he went back to talking about the discussion prior to outburst.

"Tch." Kiba scoffs lightly, arms crossed, and nose turned up into a snarl. "You're lucky I don't want to waste my breathe on a loser li-" But before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a voice that no one was expecting.

"Oh, shut it will you." Just as Iruka was about to reprimand Kiba for the interruption yet again, a young blonde haired girl spoke up, her chocolate brown eyes shining with mild irritation at having the lesson continuously disrupted by the class buffoon. "like you're one to talk, at least Mayonaka-san was able to rank higher than you in class and he's just a civilian." Seeing the brash boy's hackles rising, Kariginai Ikigomi couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction. "Yet you're part of a clan and can't even get above a C average. What does that say about you and him?" Crossing her arms, she turns back around to sit and pay attention to the lesson once more. "Now who can't hang with the big dogs, hmm?" With that parting shot fired, she grins victoriously, thinking that the mutt would probably shut his mouth so she can start learning more. Honestly, it was like scolding a child with that guy half the time.

Kiba's face flushed red in anger at the sting of the golden blonde haired girls retort while the entire class, minus the confused Kosetsu, laughed at his expense. No one really noticed the girl in the background sitting back slightly in her seat, a narrowed gaze on the outspoken popular girl. The loud brunette was all ready to respond in kind to the Kariginai, when Iruka's head grew several times bigger than what was humanly possible. "SHUT THE HELL UP!" Everyone immediately quieted down after that, their ears ringing slightly from the sound of the shout. Kiba, with one last look at the blonde and a snarl that marred his expression, sat down and promptly ignored her and everyone else.

Once he knew that he had everyone's attention, Iruka throws one last glance at the bewildered and surprised boy (and again he couldn't help but slightly frown at that) before he quickly assessed the options he could take for the next course of action. With one quick glance around the room, he could just sense the rising tension spreading throughout the air and the scarred teacher let out a soft sigh. Rubbing the bridge of his nose with thumb and index finger, an idea popped into his head. While it may not be the smartest idea, it was better than letting the pot stir, so to speak.

"Ok everyone." The scarred chunin spoke, gaining everyone's undivided attention as he stood akimbo. A wan smile appears onto his face as he looked out into the crowd of silent students. "How about we go outside to practice weapon throwing and then taijutsu sparring afterwards."

Everyone brightened at the prospect of going outside and doing anything else besides sitting in their boring class along with the silently warring kids. The students all rose from out of their seats and rushed out of the door in a hurry, chatting excitedly. Iruka looks after them exasperatedly, rolling his eyes in exaggeration while muttering how kids have no patience these days" or "I didn't even say leave yet" before beginning to walk out once the last of the others walked out. With one hand on the door and one foot out, he was beginning to take a step outside when he felt a bit of a tingle at the back of his neck.

Tensing slightly, he looks back over his shoulder and the tension that was there fell, but the expression on his face changed to one of complete and utter confusion. "Mayonaka-san?" He asks aloud, his voice reverberating throughout the nearly empty room. "What are you doing?"

Blinking his eyes, Kosetsu shifts his head towards Iruka with a confused expression on his own face. "Yes, sensei?" He answers as if the young boy hadn't heard a single word of what his teacher had just asked. His voice has a slight whispery tone to it and were a little clouded over like they were unfocused and seeing something that the older male couldn't see.

A slight frown marred his features, Iruka studies the boy's face and actions. His fists were laying still on the table before him, his posture straight as a ramrod, and his eyebrows scrunched together in a form of bewilderment. Chewing the bottom of his lips, he begins to make his way towards the boy. "Are you sure you're ok?" He asks, a little cautiously, his darkly colored brown eyes showing concern.

Noticing the way that his sensei was coming towards him, Kosetsu knocks himself out of it and stands up abruptly which causes Iruka to still at the boys' sudden movements and watch him closely. Swallowing a bit thickly, the white-haired boy smiles woodenly at him while releasing a somewhat forced laugh. "Yeah Umino-sensei." He puts both of his hands up in front of him and waves them side to side to assuage the other man's concern. "I'm fine," he fends off, voice carefree if just a little strained. "no need to worry, Promise."

Iruka gives him a skeptical look, his dark brown eyes never leaving the calm cat like green ones of his young student. The staring contest went on for a few moments longer before the scarred chunin lets out a sigh, knowing that he had a class and wasting the time he has left trying to get the boy to open up would ruin the already ruined lesson he had strived to create today. So, to avoid that, he moved to the side, letting the preteen move past him with nary a word and watched as he left outside of the door.

Heaving an exhausted sigh, he could only slap his forehead. _I swear these kids are going to give me a migraine the size of the Land of Fire. _He laments, before making his own way down towards the door. Turning his head back to the boy's seat, he could only give out a soft sigh and a shake of his head once more before opening the door and leaving.

**I**

After a rather impressive showing of weapon throwing (mainly from the clan and shinobi families apart from a few), the students are all gathered at the side of a large square where the sounds of punches and grunts followed by the occasional growl and shout. The sun bore down upon their backs, causing a bit of sweat to accumulate in the middle of the academy students back which causes most of the girls to grimace and gag at the disgusting feel of their clothing sticking to their backs. Thankfully, there was a slight breeze that blew against them which managed to cool them off just a tad as they stood and watched as the latest match ended with a raven haired boy standing triumphantly with his foot on top of a squirming blonde haired boy on the ground.

"Match!" Iruka says, just as the girls began to shout and cheer the name of the victorious boy. "Sasuke wins." Giving Sasuke a look, the boy nods his head and backs from the downed boy, who immediately sprung back up. Taking a huff of breath and giving the raven-haired boy a harsh glare, the blonde looked about ready to say something when Iruka interjected. He so did not need another outburst. "Naruto, you need to be more level headed and calm instead of rushing into things with reckless abandon." The young blonde known as Naruto just grunts loudly his discontent and turns his head away, not acknowledging a single word the man said which causes Iruka to get a tick mark on the side of his head.

"Please, I almost had him!" He exclaims loudly, pointing a finger at Sasuke with narrowed bright blue eyes. "Just a few more seconds and he would have been crying, believe it!"

The black-haired youth just rolled his onyx gray eyes, a cocky smirk appearing upon his face. "Oh really, loser? Why don't you try and make me cry then? I'd just love to plant you into the ground…" Pausing for dramatic effect, he leans forward and his smirk grew. "Again."

Naruto looked livid at that. "Why I ought to." He began to make his way forward when, suddenly, he was yanked backwards. "What the!?" He exclaims, waving his arms around to fight out of the offending grip. "Hey le' me go!"

Rolling his eyes, Iruka looks down to Naruto which causes the young boy to look back up to him with a peeved expression on his face. "Listen Naruto, you may be faster than Sasuke, but he has two distinct advantages over you. One, he has actually _been_ training." Blinking a bit at that, Naruto opened his mouth to say something when Iruka held his hand up. "Your form is awful, you fight like a raging beast instead of a refined shinobi, and you don't think ahead half the time. It is no one's fault but your own." When there was nothing but silence that greeted him, he began to make his second point. "Now as for the next issue…"

On the sidelines and away from most of the other students, Kosetsu watched what was happening with a shake of his head while sighing exasperatedly. _This guy is supposed to be some kind of beast but can't even throw a punch properly? _He questions, a hand on the back of his neck while looking on. _It's more like watching a circus act than a monster. _Not that he felt any ill will towards the guy. It was just that he expected a bit… More out of someone that was claimed to be some kind of super dangerous animal that could kill all of us in an instant. It was honestly pretty pathetic if he could put any words to it. "_And yet you're the weakest of them all._" At the sound of the airy whisper playing in his ear, Kosetsu's frame freezes just a little bit, his pupils shrinking a bit due to fear.

Taking a deep breath, a couple of times, he managed to abate that voice in his head. His jaw ticked and his eyes narrowed while his hands clenched. _Don't let it get to you. You know how it is. Just ignore it and it'll go away. _He thinks to himself, unclenching his hands and taking another calming breath before being able to push it down and away from himself. Within a few seconds, he was back to his usual self and regained at least a bit of his mask before paying attention back towards his sensei just in time to hear the next match up.

"Alright listen up." Iruka announced, drawing everyone's attention as the two students walked out of the square, Naruto looking a bit grumpy while Sasuke had a slight smirk on his. "The next match up is between Inuzuka Kiba." Said brunette cheered loudly at this, throwing his hands up in the air as he made his way to the square, a rather feral grin upon his face. "And Mayonaka Kosetsu." And just like that, the atmosphere dropped a bit as everyone eyed the other boy who was sitting far off and away from everyone else.

They all watched as he moved from his spot, a carefully neutral look in his one amber colored eye as he stepped forward and walked over towards the ring where Kiba stood, a smirk on his face as he stared at him. When they were facing off with the other, their classmates started whispering, placing bets on who would win, seeing how this would be there very first spar together.

Kiba sports a gray parka with black fur around the hood and at the end of his sleeves, gray shinobi pants, and blue ninja sandals. Like most of his fellow clan members, he has messy brown hair, black eyes with vertical dog-like pupils, canine teeth, and nails that resemble claws. He also has the distinctive red fang markings of the Inuzuka clan on his cheeks. Kiba is a decent fighter, which consists of wild, animalistic strikes and an over reliance on instincts. He can dominate the civilians, but against fellow clan members, he doesn't do so well.

Kosetsu wears a black short sleeve jacket over a white shirt that has a henohenomoheji cat on the front, black shinobi trousers, and a pair of white shinobi sandals. His hair is a snow-white color that shines brightly in the peaked sunlight and has eyes that are a luminescent green. He has chocolate colored skin that's reminiscent of those from Kumogakure and effeminate facial features that makes others confuse him sometimes for a girl, much to his complete and utter aggravation, and it doesn't help that he has a slim body type. Kosetsu, while not as great as some of his fellow classmates (who are mostly clan kids anyways), can put up a somewhat of a good fight due to his own study of the academy standard kata, his knowledge of the application of chakra, and his own personal tutor that his parents had supplied him with.

As they squared off with the other, most can feel the tension in the air as they waited with bated breath for the match to start. You would have had to have been living under a rock to not have known of the bitter resentment that the two had held for each other stemming all the way back to their early stages of childhood and skyrocketed since their first year at the academy. Since then, the Inuzuka had been hell bent on trying to beat him at every assignment they had (which Kiba failed spectacularly by skipping most of the time) or belittle him every chance he gets (which he excels at exemplary).

It was always made out to be a competition, with the class taking score of who is beating whom. With the earlier banter and the kunai/ shuriken exercise they had just finished where Kosetsu had gotten a perfect throw and Kiba was a few kunai short, it left the young white-haired male with a score of 58 to the Inuzuka's 55. That fact made his ire for his rival grow hotter and hotter which the blue eyed boy knew that in this match, Kiba would want to try and get him, so he could humiliate him just as much as he had done to him.

Eyeing the two warily, he began to raise his hand up to the sky. "Alright you two, please form the Seal of Confrontation." Iruka didn't know why this was written down as a match. Maybe he didn't really think that what happened in the classroom would actually happen. Which was honestly a very big oversight on his part. Those two were the literal definition of a cat vs a dog. Never getting along, always throwing barbs, always arguing, always fighting. It was a never ending conflict it seems and he had no idea where it had stemmed from. 'Maybe… I really should have thought this through. He thinks before letting the thought go. It was too late to try and change it now so whatever happened next, he would have to deal with the aftermath.

When both of them had done so, they stood in their spot, waiting for when Iruka would shout the coveted command to begin their match. Glacier blue met Ink black in a heated non verbal fight, to see which would back down or which would show even the slightest bit of being intimidated in exchanging blows with one another. Their muscles were tensed, ready to be sprung at the sound of the call. Bated breath, a slight pause as Iruka looked between the two with a wary glance once he saw how focused they were. It would have been a good thing if there wasn't a snarl on Kiba's face and a sneer on Kosetsu. Not for the first time did he wonder if this was actually the right move to make.

'Too late to second guess this now_._' He sighs before his face became set and he raised his hand up to the heavens. "Ready?" He calls needlessly before lowering his hand down in a chopping motion. "Begin!" He took a couple of steps back to give them enough room to have it out, but also close so if anything were to happen he would be there to separate them.

Kiba sped off like a rocket towards the white and black haired boy with a hard straight cocked back like a gun. When he was close enough, he unleashed the punch towards the blue eyed boys face, a satisfactory grin on his face as he thought it would be an assured clear hit to his face. However, Kosetsu saw the straightforward attack coming from a mile away, it was certainly Kiba's style to start things off considering his clan and all so it wasn't too hard to figure out what would happen when the fight began. Blocking the punch with an open palm, Kosetsu diverted the punch to the side, the momentum of the boy moving to the right, with the young Inuzuka's body following right after.

Not to be outplayed by his hated rival, Kiba planted one hand on the ground as he was moving, his body going into a handstand with just the single hand. Using what was left of the kinetic energy that the diversion had from Kosetsu, he brought one leg up and managed to catch the boy in a heel kick to his chest with his left leg that sent him to the ground with a mighty _OOF_ that escaped from past his lips. Not done yet, Kiba maneuvered his hand counter-clockwise, twisting his body in a way that sends his right leg over his left to try and catch him in the face for a knockout.

However, Kostsu spied the attack coming at him through slitted eyesight and raised both arms up into an 'x' formation and blocked it successfully. Grunting with the force of the attack, the white haired boy was thrown off balance, despite his backpedalling, and managed to land on his rear. Without wasting any time, he flipped backwards and up onto his legs, not at all prepared for a straight right coming at his face and taking it full force.

Flinching from the pain, it was all he could do to block his face and stomach from the assault that Kiba was laying on him while he steadily lost ground. 'What can I do?' He asked himself, teeth gritting from the pain as he was continuously losing ground against the wild clan boy. 'At this rate, I'm gonna lose the match faster than I can even _try_ anything.'

As the punches weathered upon his guard, Kosetsu started to get the rhythm down for how they were striking and upon the beat between the jab that would have been followed up by a right hook, Kosetsu brought up a hand to quickly shove it into Kiba's right bicep to knock it off course before coming through with a punch of his own that connected cleanly with the other boy's nose. Following up nicely after momentarily staggering his adversary, the white haired youth followed up with a quick left to his hand that covered his mouth that sent Kiba back a couple of steps more and then nailed him with a harsh front kick that sent him sprawling onto his back. He didn't immediately follow after him, having taken a bit to gather his wits about him after that assault on his body.

The brown haired academy student gets up off the ground, his face red as he thought of how the tables turned on him with a snarl. This guy. This _nobody_ managed to knock him on his arse. It hurt his pride a lot to actually think of how he allowed a civilian to do such a thing, and instead of placing the blame on himself, he instead turned his ire on his classmate, the civilian, the cat lover, the dog hater, the _smug bastard that almost always had the upper hand. _He may not have the upperhand on some of the other clan children, but he'll be _darned_ if he let some _kid _beat him up.

'You are _not_ going to beat me this time!' He thinks before he had gotten up on his two feats, hair bristling a little before he made his move first again. This time he launched himself up in the air and delivered a tornado kick at his head, but Kosetsu was already moving and rolled underneath him to avoid the attack.

Landing on his feet nicely, the pale skinned boy mule kicked behind him that managed to connect to the middle of the Inuzuka's spine which made him stumble forwards before hopping on his back and wrapped an arm around his neck in a perfect chokehold that left the dog boy gasping for air that's more reminiscent of a fish out of water.

Thinking quickly, he crouched at the knees before jumping up and back, making sure that the monkey on his back would be underneath him when the ground met them thanks to the power of gravity. A pained grunt was the music to his ears just when the arm around his throat loosened enough for him to break free of it. Greedily drinking in oxygen, Kiba rolled over to the side massaging his throat while coughing every few seconds before he could calm down his breathe. 'Dang it, now _I'm _the one getting pu-' before his thoughts could be finished, a sudden flash of white blinded his vision and a moment of numbness overtook his body while the world around him seemed to blur with dots obstructing his view.

When his sight came back to him, he found himself staring up at the sky. His arms were spread wide to either side of him and a slight ringing in his ears prevented him from hearing exactly what had happened. 'What the… What just happened? Where am I?' Brown eyes were slightly glazed over when a blob came into view just as his hearing and feeling came back to both body and ears respectively.

"That's it!" Iruka states aloud, just as Kiba's ears finally cleared up all the way. "The winner of this match is Kosetsu." The got his ears to prick up and he sat up to look at the older man , but a resounding headache made him think twice and the warm thick substance running down his nose and across his lips made him rethink going overboard with what he was doing. His eyes looked over to the white haired boy who wasn't exactly looking at Kiba himself but at their instructor. A low growl escaped past his lips which caused Kosetsu to look at him, an unreadable look upon his face before he turned his bright blue eyes back onto the scarred chunin.

Looking between the two, the older man barely held in a sigh of regret as he caught the look that the proud Inuzuka held in his eyes. Though back in the fight where the usually quiet boy had him in a chokehold, the look in his eyes was just the same as Kiba's were. And that honestly was... 'Man those two. If Kosetsu wouldn't have let go...' It was a dangerous unfinished thought that he held no bearings to keep, so he pushed it to the back of his headspace for the moment. 'I'll deal with it later.' He then brings his focus back on the two who had just finished their bout and nodded his head to them both. "Now a few points I would like to bring up with you both." He starts, entering what most would call his 'lecturing mode'.

"Starting off with you Kosetsu." The young preteen flinched a little at being called out, but soon straightened out, awaiting what his sensei had to say about his performance. "While you have a good and firm grasp on the base of the academy katas, what you have in technique you lack in execution." A nod of acknowledgement was all that was made before Iruka continued on with his analysis. "For most of the fight you were more on the defensive than offensive which allowed Kiba to gain the upperhand and nearly moved you out of the ring before you came out of it. You need to learn to take the initiative because if someone who was faster than you didn't give you the time needed to recuperate then you would have been done for. Understand?" Nodding his head in understanding, Iruka moved on to his other student.

"Kiba," The boy's hears wiggled a little bit at the sound of his name, though he didn't look to Iruka. "While you are very proficient in your clan taijutsu, you lack the discipline needed to actually take advantage of your opponent. You go in swinging wildly and, while I understand that wild and unpredictable movements are the base of what the Inuzuka utilize, it is not a smart tactic to use against someone who is your exact opposite. If you think ahead a little bit more, then victory will surely be yours." Finishing up what he would say, the wild haired student grumbles his assent but nods his head at the assessment… Not that he would actually listen.

"Now for the Seal of Reconciliation, you two." Though he said it to the both of them, he aimed it more so at Kiba than he did at the young Mayonaka.

The green eyed academy student is the first to put his hand out, albeit a little hesitantly. Kosetsu sticks his index and middle finger out, leaving his thumb pressed by his index finger and his ring and pinky finger folded into his hand. He didn't look Kiba in the eye, because he knew that the boy was mad and didn't want to stoke his flames of "feral superiority" or whatever he likes to call it.

The brown eyed preteen takes one look at the outstretched hand and then look up at the boy's lowered head and promptly growls. HIs hands clenched tightly into fists as he takes the gesture as more of a show that he wasn't even worth being looked at in the eyes because he lost. Raising his hand, He reaches it out as if wanting to reciprocate the gesture, but then his hand snakes forwards quicker than the other boy could react and grips the front of Kosetsu's shirt. He pulls him forward, roughly, and makes the boy look into his searing eyes.

Kosetsu, for his part, was not even ready for it. So when he looked up at the angered Inuzuka, he flinched and didn't raise his own fist. For all his talk, whenever his nerves were gone or if he was caught off guard. He was what one could essentially call a wimp. Clenching his eyes closed, he waited for the blows to come, but all he received was a shove and he landed on the ground on his rump.

"For all of your big talk and that show you put on everyday. You're such a pussy." He snarled, spitting to the side before shoving his hands in his pockets. "But I guess all cats are the same."

"Kiba, that's enough!" Iruka says sternly towards the brash boy. Seriously, this was so unethical and it was… Entirely his fault. He really should have thought this through whenever he was going through the matchups that Mizuki made before just calling out the first two names out to dispel the tension in the room… and he just made it worse. He really needed a drink after this.

With one last look at the downed kid, the Inuzuka just shook his head. "You don't even deserve to be a ninja." and then he walked off not even sparing a backwards glance or paying attention to the upturned noses or glares.

The white haired child slowly stood up from his place on the ground and everyone watched him, wondering what was going to happen next. They were hoping for some kind of rebuttal from him, some sort of fight to break out, to see if he would regain the steel that the boy would gain every time Kiba lashed out at him or like what he had done all those years ago whenever things gone down the crapper. They, however, were seriously disappointed with what transpired instead.

All he did was walk away from the group of kids and moved over back to his place by the tree that was just a little bit away from them and sat down gingerly. The clan heirs of that group looked on, disgusted at the display shown by the Inuzuka and felt bad for the kid and some wanted to go over and comfort him, but decided against it in the end. They weren't responsible for what the mutt did so they weren't going to say sorry for that loose mouthed idiot. That was something he was supposed to do not them. With that in mind, they didn't make a move over towards him. No one did.

And yet only a single pair of solemn amber eyes stared after him until before they were forced to face the front to take action in the next bout.

* * *

Class has just ended for the young academy students and Kosetsu is the last to go outside. He made his way away from all of the parents watching as they eagerly awaited their kids to arrive. He didn't spot his, but it didn't dishearten him at all. In fact he was used to it by now. With a sigh he continued walking past them all when out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of pale yellow out of the corner of his eye when he looked closer he noticed that it was the Ikigomi, the one who stood up to Kiba in his defense.

Ikigomi is a somewhat nice (rather hot-headed) girl with fair skin and eyes that were a deep burgundy color. She has wavy pale blonde hair that was done up in twin pigtails which reached down to her armpits that was held together by twin bows that matched her eye color. Her outfit consists of a hooded yellow crop top that exposed her midriff and a black skirt that reaches to her knees. On her feet were a pair of shin high socks and a pair of black ballerina shoes with straps that made them tighter so that they wouldn't slip off of her feet.

A part of him wanted to go over towards her and ask her why she stood up for him since she never really showed any of that fire in regards to him whenever he and Kiba were in their previous squabbles. Sure there was a time when they were younger when they would all hang out together, but down the road they had all changed and soon they found themselves separated for one reason or another, something he blamed himself for still to this day. He clenched his jaw, wondering if he should even try to ask why or even thank her for it. The confusion part playing a massive role in his curiosity for wanting to know why she did what she did for someone that wasn't Sasuke.

There had to be a reason, some reason why she had just now decided to be the friend for him that he needed for all these years, but honestly, he wasn't even sure he wanted to know what that reason was. He knew that he was probably over thinking way too much, but what if there was some truth to that pervasive thought that seemed to come through from the back of his mind. What if she had some ulterior motive for doing what she did, maybe to send some kind of coded message for him. What if she was trying to get him to owe her a favor so that she can cash it in when it suited her. And on and on he went going through the least likely situations that could happen, until there was that little voice in the back of his mind. A voice he knew all too well.

"_Just do it stupid_." He berated himself. "_Stop overthinking things. She did something nice for you, so you should thank her. Besides, considering those times when you two are together you seem to be on good terms, so shouldn't you try to thank her?_"

He frowns slightly at the suggestion. "But don't you think that, that's a little bit too much." He asks himself aloud, biting the inside of his cheek as hesitation took over. "What if she doesn't want to talk to me? W-What if she-"

"_Shut up and DO IT ALREADY!_" The voice shouted. Honestly, he was getting annoyed by him.

"Alright alright..." He mutters before taking a deep breath. He began to take tentative steps towards the blonde haired girl while she began to walk home with her parents. "Um, K-Kariginai-san." He calls out, the hesitance and shyness in his voice causing him to let the words fall out into a whisper. Noticing that they were still walking away, he gulped down his nerves and spoke just a little louder, knowing that he wouldn't hear the end of it if he bailed out now. "Kariginai-s-san!"

This catches her attention as well as her parents as they all turned around to face the person who had spoken out. When burgundy colored eyes met green, they look at him curiously and there was a flash of annoyance that was missed by the younger boy. "Mayonaka-san?" She asked wondering why _he_ was even trying to talk to _her_. It was unexpected and very unwelcome on her end and she had to hold back a grimace as she saw that pathetic face making its way to her. 'No…. No, no, no. Ugh I _knew_ I should have kept my mouth closed.' She grumbled inaudibly as

Her parents, on the other hand, had a very different reaction to seeing that familiar shock of white hair as they only knew one family group with hair as white as snow in the Leaf Village. "Oh, hello there, Mayanaka-san." Ikigomi's father, Kiriginai Yorokobi, says with his voice having a pleasant tone to it as he addressed the young boy. "How are you?"

Since his appointment on the Civilian Council, Kosetsu's father had become the most influential and prominent member of the council, usually being the one others look to for answers. It was due to his appointment and his humble and easygoing nature that he had managed to make friends with the other members, but none as much as he had with the other two males Hinokikara Joshoha and Yorokobi himself. They had, one day, brought their families together when their kids were around three years old for dinner and after that, the three families would meet up and have some dinners together. The men were all still good friends, but they've just been too busy to do much together.

Yorokobi is a kind-faced man with a case of heterochromacy, making his right eye a blue color and his other a brown . He has a shock of messy blonde hair that stuck up in some places and has a darker skin-tone than both his wife and daughter. On either side of his face were sideburns that flows into his slightly reddish mustache. The older male wears a dark, loose-fitting kimono-shirt which has a charcoal colored, inner-lining and sleeves which extends beyond his kimono shirt. This is held closed by a simple obi which he wears along with burgundy colored pants, and a pair of simple charcoal slippers.

Kosetsu blinked for a bit before conjuring up a small shy smile, bowing in greeting. "I'm doing well, Kariginai-sama, thank you for your concern of my well-being."

"No problem my boy." He said heartily, a wide smile upon his face. "It's nice to see such a friendly and familiar face here after too long of your absence." His eyes seemed to glint with something that couldn't be determined by the white haired boy… Well that was if he had seen it in the first place. "Say how is your fa-"

"Oh shush Yoro." His wife, Kiriginai Megumi, swatted at the man's shoulder, making him pout at her with slightly puffed cheeks. "Don't go questioning the poor boy. He obviously came here to speak with our daughter more than to partake in a game of 21 Questions with you."

Megumi is a fair-skinned woman much like her daughter with a face that looked well at home on a tapestry depiction of a goddess. It had a sort of serene look to it and there seemed to be a perpetual smile that only ever gave off a warm smile. Her eyes were a mesmerizing red color that made it hard to look away from and atop her head was shoulder-length, black hair with a single bang that falls down into her face. She wears a medium blue kimono that falls all the way down to her ankles and has on a pair of black sandals.

"Aww but I just wanted to-" He tried to explain himself but was cut off.

"No buts." Turning to Kosetsu, she turned her warm smile onto him, causing his face to warm up. "Now then Mayanaka-kun, what were you going to say to our daughter?"

"U-uh thank you Kiriginai-sama." Now turning to Ikigomi, he bows at the waist, causing the eyes of said girl to widen and her cheeks to flush in embarrassment. "U-um. Thank you very much... F-for earlier when you s-stood up for me, Ikigomi-san."

Her teeth grinding at the humiliation of being put on the spot like this and for her own stupidity of actually saying something to quell the idiocy of that irritable self proclaimed "top dog". On the surface she put on a comforting smile to ease the white haired boy, though if Kosetsu would have been looking at her, he would have found that it seemed rather forced. "No problem Mayonaka-san. It was my pleasure to stand up to a bully for a friend."

His eyes, that were still looking at the ground, widened in surprise. He was... She said that he was... Straightening up, he gulped down a wad of saliva that seemed to be lodged in his esophagus before he smiles shakily. "Th-thanks, Kiriginai-san." He had trouble getting out the first word as something threatened to burst out of his chest. "U-um I-I think I sh-sh-should be heading h-home n-now. Th-Thanks again."

Before any of them could say a word, he was already off. Megumi looked after him with a soft smile of her own as she looked after his receding back. "He's still such a nice boy, don't you think Yoro?"

The blonde man smiled at that. "Oh, there's no doubt about that. Though, he does seem a bit more subdued since I last saw him." He agrees, a slight tilt downwards to his lips as he says this. However, he shakes it off and develops a… Rather unique look. "But if he makes a move on my daughter..." He lets the threat hang in the air as a dark aura hangs around him that made both wife and daughter sweatdrop.

"Er, ok dear." Megumi says tiredly, already knowing where this was heading. "Anyways let's head on home."

"Yosh! Let's go!" He yells in good nature, making both mother and daughter sigh exasperatedly as the switch from thoughtfulness to threatening to cheerfulness was back to back and made them worry about his mental state.

"Sometimes you're just too much, dear." She groans with a smile as the three make their way home.

And as for Kosetsu, he watched as the family of three walked off on their own way home, a soft smile on his face as he remembers the words that the blonde had said. "For a friend." He speaks softly as his smile gets brighter. "A-are… A-are we... F-friends again." A giddy feeling passes over him as he thinks of the implications of those words. As he looks at the backs of the Kagirinai family he can't help _but_ feel excited.

For the rest of the day, people would find the young boy with a small smile, a blush to his cheeks, and a small bounce in his feet.

**Because What I Feel...**

The next day at the academy shows the young white haired academy student moving over to his seat with his head held a little higher than what it normally was. Immediately everyone who was there seemed to take notice and stare a little in confusion, especially at the small, very unnoticeable, but still there smile on his face. This, of course, threw everyone off.

'What was he so happy about' was on all of their minds at that moment as they watched the unnaturally happy boy, (who was so happy he didn't even notice where he wasn't even sitting in his normal seat towards the right side of the class and a row above the Uchiha), take a seat down next to the raven haired Uchiha Sasuke, the second ranked student in their class who just looked at him with a look, but then just seemed to shrug it off as he went back to what he was doing before the boy came to sit next to him.

Everyone tensed at the action, knowing that there were two people who always fought to sit next to the boy. Two scary individuals that it put the rest of their little, (not really little, like the size of an army they are), group looking like a pair of cute baby pandas. The thought of warning the poor boy had crossed their minds, but it flew right out of their ears as they shrugged, especially Kiba who had only smirked. If he wanted to not get killed then he shouldn't have sat where the territory was already marked. Too bad, so not sad.

Though, a flicker of doubt enters Hinokikara Ochiba's amber eyes as she looked over at her ex-friend's face and bit her lower lip. She wanted to tell him because, even if they weren't friends anymore, she still felt like it was her job to protect him from the wrath of the trash that abandoned them. Shouldn't she offer her assistance as a former friend? Wouldn't that be nice of her and maybe recreate that bridge that they had once had (even knowing full well that she was the other one who also had burned down that bridge with Kosetsu).

Ochiba isn't as blind to her ex friend's dilemma as he thought she was. Even when they were younger, she could see it as plain as day when he thought no one was looking. It had hurt yesterday when she saw him getting belittled by that insufferable Inuzuka when all Kosetsu was doing was just being his usual self and getting lost like he normally did whenever he drifted off like he had.

Heck, she had even been about was about to stand up and yell something at the brown haired boy when _she _saved him instead (which is a mystery in itself when she didn't even understand since she was the one who had felled the bridges connecting both of their friendship first). Though she was a bit happy that Kiba had been put in his place.

She looked at him again, this time her brows furrowed together as she wondered something.

When Kosetsu had came here he had that small smile on his face. A smile that he often had when the three of them had been together and played together. But he hasn't smiled like that (even a smile that small) in five years. 'So why…' her thoughts trailed off as she thought harder on it and a look of understanding quickly flashed across her face, but was immediately gone, as if it was never there to begin with. Her eyes hardened a bit before they closed all together. The memories of the events that happened yesterday and of what she had seen after class enters her mind.

'Idiot'. She thinks as she shakes her head at him. 'Only setting yourself up for disappointment.' Her decision made, she then goes back to reading her book she had gotten from the Konoha Archive Library called _Genjutsu for Dummies. _'I shouldn't have even entertained the thought.' She thinks bitterly, nose twitching.

After a while, everyone got over the subtle change and went back to their conversation with their friends as more and more kids started to file into the room. By this time, Kosetsu had already zoned everyone out, lost in his own little world with a glazed look in his eye not unlike a certain Nara in their class. This was the scene that a specific blonde, spiky haired boy wearing an orange hoodie with blue short sleeves and orange shorts with blue sandals came in upon and saw his rival near the window and let out a huff of annoyance at how cool the boy was trying to look. As he began to walk further into the classroom before taking notice of a certain someone sitting in a certain seat that was marked as no man's land.

His cerulean blue eyes widened in (a comical way) surprise and horror as he reached out towards the too far away boy as he quickly made his way towards him hoping to save him before his fate was sealed. "Kosetsu-san!" He called out, garnering the boy's attention along with everyone else who looked at the odd boy, wondering why he was being called out. "No! Get out of-!"

The stampeding noise that resembled the sound of rhinos was heard outside before the door burst open revealing clouds of smoke and about six females. One of which was the purple clad girl by the name of Yamanaka Ino, heiress of the Yamanaka clan and the other being Haruno Sakura who was a civilian child much like others within that room and the last one that Kosetsu knew personally being Ikigomi. At the sight of the girls, everyone sat down in their desks while others hid beneath them and even some pressed themselves against the walls in fear. Even the lazy ass Nara had the energy to hide beneath the desk, but he had fallen asleep there too so… yeah.

"HA! I WIN PIG!" The pinkette screeched excitedly as she pumped a fist high into the air. "TAKE THAT! NOW I GET TO SIT NEXT TO SASUKE-KUN!"

"WHAT?!" The pale blonde and green eyed girl yelled back, somehow managing to outdo her rival. "I TOTALLY GOT HERE BEFORE YOU DID?!"

However Sakura just scoffed. The incompetence of this chick. "Oh please. Like you could ever beat me."

"Oh do you wanna GO?!"

"YEAH AND I'LL KICK YOUR SMALL BUTT TOO!" Ikigomi butt heads with Ino as electricity spark between them.

"Oh yeah?" Ikigomi butted in, as smug look on her face as she looked at the other two girls, hands on her hips that was cocked to the side. "Well who cares about you two when obviously Sasuke-kun would want someone who looks better than some pig and a girl whose forehead is as wide as a billboard.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" The two girls roared, looking to the Inuzuka clansman.

It was at this moment, Kiba decides to play the most cruelest trick that no man would ever wish to place on any decent (and indecent) human being. "OI YAMANAKA, KARIGINAI, HARUNO!" He yelled gaining their attention. Faced with their harsh glares and a loud "what?!" He wondered if this was the best course of action… but he still went with it because the end result was going to be funnnnnn. "How are you going to sit by Sasuke when it's already taken?" He asked innocently, but the glint in his eyes were anything but.

The three blinked owlishly at that then immediately turned to see who it was that was sitting next to _their _Sasuke-kun. And when they saw the Mayonaka boy, they all had entirely different reactions.

Ino just frowns slightly at the boy. Usually she would be all over the person who would sit next to her Sasuke, but that was because she knew that person and she or he got on her nerves and so she really went out of her way to bother or to mess with them. It just felt right. However, this was someone who really doesn't bother… Well anyone really. So just this once, she supposed that she wouldn't mess with him, seeing as to how he already goes through enough with dealing with the class jackass. Not that she did anything to help the situation. Something she frowns to herself for, but… What could she do? She couldn't associate with someone like him, considering she was popular and he wasn't.

Sakura looked about ready to start her own tirade against the white haired kid, but that was before she got a handle on herself. Maybe if she just asked him, he would move out of the way he would. It wasn't like he would be particularly harsh about not moving nor a jerk. It wasn't the kind of vibe that he would ever give off and so it really wouldn't do to get overly mad/physical with him whenever he would give it up to make her happy. He was just that kind of guy. However, before she could do anything, someone was already stepping past her to confront Kosetsu.

Ikigomi, on the other hand, was a different case. She knew who he was and she had been the one to end it along with the other girl. She knew the kind of person he was and didn't care. She knew about his bullying and never stepped in because she wasn't going to risk her status and her value as Sasuke's number 1 choice. She had thought that she had put an end to it all those years ago, but nope. Yesterday, she just had to open her big mouth and now he probably thought that they were friends again. Well that was something that she planned to rectify as quickly as possible. The pig tailed girl grit her teeth roughly together.

Because of him, her parents were telling her that maybe she should start hanging out with him again and bring him, along with Ochiba, over again. She was so livid at him for turning her own parents on her. And him sitting by Sasuke… Oh yeah, he was going to get it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The girl said lowly, a slight growl in the back of her throat. The whole room was on edge at the sound.

"Hello. Ikigomi-san." The boy said, a little unsure as he faced the angry girl. What did he do? Did he somehow mess up with her again? He didn't mean to if that was the case! He swears! "Is something wr-"

"Don't 'hey' me." She interrupted him, her voice stern and held such vitriol that it made him flinch back from her. "WHY are you sitting next to MY Sasuke-kun?" The utter hatred in her voice really set the younger male off. "First you decide to confront me in front of my parents and now you're asking taking my seat from Sasuke."

"U-u-um… S-s-sorry." He began to stutter, eyes wide at the implications of what he had done. No… No… No, no, no, no, no, nonononono. He didn't want to experience this again, anything but this. He just got her back as a friend, he didn't want to lose that so soon. " I-I didn't m-m-mean t-t-too." His voice was not above a whisper at that as he looks down at the desk in front of him. "I-I-"

"Oh cut the stuttering act, you idiot!" She seethed, causing the boy to subconsciously shrink in his seat. "And get the hell out of my seat."

Her words cut through him like a knife. The second time this has had to happen? Because of Sasuke. Because he wasn't cool. Because he was distant. Because he almost never talked anymore. There were so many reasons why people stopped being his friend. To have it circle back and hit him right in the face was a pain that he wished that he could get rid of and yet…. He was stuck here. Stuck having to feel this way… Stuck with losing those he cared for because he did or didn't do something that he didn't know was wrong in the first place. He thought that they were supposed to be friends again or did that mean nothing to her. Did she lie to him yesterday? Was what she said just something to say to save face in front of her parents. Something inside of him, made him act. Made him ask something that he didn't want to say. "Why are you doing this?" He asks, stupefied and getting more and more upset at this turn of events. "Aren't we f-frie-"

The girl cut him off with a derisive snort. "Oh please, why would I want to be friends with a loser like you?" She remarked, a harsh look in her eyes, as the boy flinched. "Wasn't that why I stopped being friends with you? Because you're nothing but a useless idiot who lost what little spine you had left. You were only holding me back and that's why I ended it, but noooo. You just had to say something when I want nothing to do. With. You. Got it memorized, baka?" She wouldn't go as far as to say the hurt look in his eyes pleased her, but it did make her feel a little better that she was able to release her frustration out on him.

Unfortunately, for her. She had done it at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

He felt a lump in his throat, his heart pounding in his ears. His pale face heating up due to the public humiliation that he had suffered. He refused to let the tears flow from his face as he stands up, with his head bowed down to the floor. He tried to swallow the lump but it didn't work since his mouth was too dry to do such a thing. "I-I-I'm sorry…" He whispered, loud enough for her to hear it. "I'll get out of your spot for you."

Without a word, he soundlessly walks out of the shocked classroom. Away from all the people that would whisper and look at him with pity and such. He didn't want to be there when it started. He didn't want to be anywhere near them at all. After shutting the door silently behind him, he made it all the way down the hall and just barely inside the bathroom before he slides down in front of the door and onto the floor. He looks at the wall ahead for a bit before everything becomes blurry.

He didn't stop them this time.

**Hurts Me Deeply…**

* * *

**Hello everyone! I'm back and so is this story. This story had 10 chapters originally but I took it down over two years ago because I wasn't happy with how it turned out. I've been in a sort of funk lately with my writing and I've spent the past few years to work on it. There will be times where I'm feeling burnt out and may put the story on a hiatus so that I can get that feeling back. This is just a heads up because I don't want anyone to feel sad or get mad at me for not uploading but do rest assured that I will give you a heads up whenever this happens. **

**Now this story is by no means my first go. I've done maybe 1 oneshot and 3 incomplete stories while I do have one story that I finished a long time ago but I deleted it to rewrite it all over but um.. I lost the doc for it so that one is dead unfortunately. **

**But let's get back to this. This story is still undergoing a rewrite but I felt the need to unleash this story not just for you all but also for myself because I really really really want to start back up with this story. I have so many ideas for this story and I want to share them with you all. Thank you all for reading this and until next time!**

**Update: sorry there was a sentence that never got completed above, my condolences!**


	2. Feeling Warmth in a Sea of Hopelessness

**Naruto does not belong to me at all. I'm certainly not that good or consistent lul. **

* * *

Chapter 2

**Honestly…**

He didn't know how long it had been since he had sat there and cried. All he knew was hurt in his heart and anger at himself for thinking that everything could go back to normal. 'THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!' He blamed the voice inside his head, fists clenched tightly on his knees while his shoulders shook from his sobs. 'You just had to say something, to _force myself_ out there to embarrass myself not just in front of Kariginai-san and her parents, but also making it come full circle and have it bite me in the rear! I _HATE_ YOU!' He yelled into his mind with a terrible malice and yet had gotten no response in return. Typical. Always encouraging him to do stupid stuff but always bailed on him when the going gets tough.

It never really crossed his mind that someone could walk in on him at that very moment of weakness. Though, even if the hypothetical person did, He couldn't fathom garnering enough shame to even care. He didn't even care of that stupid rule of ninja's were they aren't allowed to shoew emotion. He doesn't care about either at all. Cause, honestly, all he wanted to do at that moment was to just get away. He wants to run from all of the things that cause him so much grief. Kiba, Ikigomi, Ochiba, his parents, his past, everything.

The idea of running away has floated through his mind more often than not, but as usual, there was always a reason to stay and he hates it. 'Shouldn't this be the last straw?' He thinks through one of his hiccuping sobs.'Shouldn't I at least try to go away this time. It's not like anyone would really care.' This he knew to be the furthest thing from the truth, he did have people who would miss him.

He did have his love from his family (even if they are always overprotective) and he did have Tsukiko(but he wasn't there for him when he actually does need him, since he's always away on missions). Which brings him back to square one which is him wallowing in his self pity.

"W-why me." He whispers sadly, his voice shaking with emotion. "Why am I a-always the one who e-ends up screwing u-up." He grits his teeth and screws his eyes shut as he hugged his knees up to his body, closely to his chest. "Why c-can't I do a-anything right?"

It's his fault for not being good enough, cool enough, nor strong enough to keep his friends together and losing them like he had. It's his fault that his new friend has to keep fussing and worrying about him when he should instead be focusing on his promotion. It's his fault that no one hangs around him, cause who wants to hang around someone like him who can't handle social interactions that weren't focused around brutal verbal exchanges.

He hates feeling this way. He hates stuttering over his words because he doesn't have the confidence or self assurance that he once had. He hates that he isn't able to meet a person's eye without him thinking that he's not worth it. He hates it, he hates it, he hates it, he hates it, HE HATES IT! Honestly…

A nudge from behind snaps him out of his thoughts. "Hey… Mayonaka-san?" A voice calls softly through the crack in the boy's bathroom door. At the sound of it, the white haired boy sits completely still, halting in his breathing. That voice… He knows that voice. "Are you there? The door won't really open and… Well… I was hoping we could talk?"

Talk… To him? After all of the ample opportunities that he had, now he wants to talk. "So _now_ you want to say something after all this time?" He grounded out hot anger surging through his chest. Irrational as it may have been considering he never reached out to someone for help in defending himself from Kiba, they were at least running mates with each other. The least he could have done was talk to him to chill out. And not just that, but the fact that _he_, of all the people to come to him, actually had the decency to try and apologize or offer any sort of words of sympathy was just a slap to his face.

There was a long moment of silence before a sigh penetrated the thin layer. A soft thump came to his ears and the door that he was pressed too gave him a soft push. What came next was the sound of cloth sliding down against onto the floor before another thump was heard signifying that he had sat down. "Yeah… I deserve that, hell… We deserve it since we really did nothing to stop it."

The green eyed student remained silent, pondering on his classmates actions, nose scrunched up. While he should be thankful, a part of him really wanted it to be someone else. Honestly, _anyone _would have been better. Someone like...

Another sigh interrupted his thought process. "I know what it's like, ya know." came the words, quiet though they were, that made young dark skinned boy scrunch his nose up at the insinuation that they could have had _anything_ in common.

"You know…" There was a bit of hesitance in his voice that did make Kosetsu pause a little, curiosity warring with a type of petulance that wanted him to cut him off and tell him to buzz off. Curiosity was winning. "I'm treated like an outcast by everyone. I get picked on a lot, even by Kiba at times as well as some of the others. I'm laughed at and no one really cares to help me and I even get ignored by the majority of my peers… Even by you too.." Indignation welled up in his chest whilst his cheeks blushed slightly at being called out.

Though he wanted to say something, the young man found out that he couldn't. His lips fought against him and words that were circling around in his mind couldn't form into anything coherent for him to use. All there was, was just confusion. He knew that he was trying to apologize for not stopping one of his "pals", but why? He even said that all he did was ignore him and never really reached out to him at all. So why was he trying to help him now? Wasn't he a monster? Wasn't he just a ticking time bomb ready to happen and kill him and his family? Was he trying to lull him into a false sense of security just so he would never see him pounce when he was least expecting it? So why? Why was he trying to console him...

"I just let it happen." The boy on the other side of the door went on, unaware of the inner turmoil he was causing the one he was trying to comfort. " I didn't want to lose a friend, regardless of how loose the term really is. But when Kiba started to get even more cruel I wanted to step in, but… I was- no I still am- selfish. I didn't want to lose-"

"Stop…" Kosetsu cuts through finally, eyes shut and teeth clenched. He had enough. "Just stop."

However, the other boy was not just going to let this go that easily, something that seemed to frustrate the normally subdued Kosetsu to no end. "I can't do that!" He exclaimed, making a face that the white haired boy couldn't see. "I have to-"

"No… You don't have to explain anything. All you're doing is trying to compare you to me and console me with empty words." He says in an uncharacteristically cold voice that shocks the other boy completely. "Don't you think that I already do enough damage to myself? I don't need you trying to sympathize with me just to make yourself feel better." 'I don't want your pity… I already have more than enough on my own.' He thinks the last part to himself.

A long awkward silence elapsed between the two as the other boy tried to find something to say and Kosetsu try to figure out a way to disappear. "Fine..." His soft voice permeates through the vents on the lower part of the door taking Kosetsu's attention. "I just wanted… To say I'm here for you. You know… That you have a friend in me if you ever need it, I guess." he pauses to see if he can get the boy to say something, but of course he got nothing. He lets out his one millionth sigh before getting up from the floor. "It's just about time for us to head back to class… I'll see you there." There was a long silence, as if he was waiting for something. When it dragged on for too long, the sounds of shoes slapping softly against the oaken floor began to fade away, meaning that now he was finally alone.

For a long time he didn't say a word. He just continues to sit there, on that floor, looking up at the ceiling. "As if I'd ever listen to a monster like you… Uzumaki."

**What Can Someone Like Me Do?**

The sun is setting in Konoha. The endless omnipresent sky above, lights up in bright Scarlets, burning oranges, and fading purple. The sun shines down lovingly onto the earth below, as if it's a child. Faint wisps of clouds linger still, defiantly, trying to stay in the sky in order to gaze upon the village below them, as did the sun, who cursed the moon for taking over its spot as it trails down slowly. Though, it lets out a figurative defeated sigh, accepting its fate. Because, of course, everything must come to an end.

In the back of Konoha Ninja Academy, lay a sweaty and heavily breathing white haired boy who had black streaks within the snowy white strands. His hair covered the left side of his face while you can see his emerald green eyes glistening within the dying light of day. Surrounding him were numerous scrolls and books that range from "Chakra Control: Tree Climbing" to "Chakra Theories and Uses: Intermediate Level". In front of him stands the ever present tree that casts a looming protective shadow over the Academy bearing slash marks on its body, from the now mostly blunt kunai in his right hand.

The young boy has a small and soft smile on his face as he looks up at that fiery sky, a look of happiness and pride in his eyes as he thinks over his accomplishment. 'I did it.' He thinks. 'I…. I actually did it.' His eyes glisten sigh unshed tears as something indiscernible fills his chest. 'I'm getting there… I just… Have to keep going… I have to…' He then proceeds to get up from his spot on the ground, his muscles groaning in protest.

Everyday. This is what he did everyday after school. He trained and trained and trained. Trained until he dropped. Trained until he couldn't get up. Trained until he couldn't feel his arms or legs. And most of the time he showed progress in his training while other times, he doesn't because either a concept was too complex for him to get or he himself didn't believe he was doing great. Those times, he just got caught up in his failures that he just trudged home in his own sadness.

"C'mon Kosetsu." He whispers hoarsely to himself, trying to hype himself back onto his feet, not wanting those thoughts to cloud his mind again. "We… We can do this." Rising, he could feel the strain going through his limbs but he didn't let it stop him. "We just have to… I have to…"

When he finally (albeit shakily) rose to his feet, he made his way over to the padded wooden post and settled down into the basic academy stance. After working out a few kinks in his arms, he started going through the katas, not striking fiercely against the post, but doing it hard enough to feel the impact through his body to judge the impact and guesstimate the amount of time the recoil on a human would be once hit.

After going through the motions a few times, he moves a little faster, but with each hit it seemed to get softer whenever he moved like the more speed he had, the less effective the hits would get. He'd have to find a way to counter that problem, maybe once his tutor comes back he could bring it up with him to see what he thought.

After a good length of time spent dedicated trying to work on what he knew and failing at trying to find a good solution, he decided to do what he had been working on, for himself. It was something that he was advised against, considering that he really had no idea how to go about what he was trying to attempt, but also something he thought was honestly pretty cool. He backs away from the post, stiff movements to his body due to still not taking a longer break than normal, and starts to do some stretches before going through the various extraneous activities that he was going to partake in, more so than the basic taijutsu.

When he finished he breathed in deeply, then let out his breath in one big breath as he slips down into a style not seen before. A style he _knew_ no one had seen. His left foot is planted onto the ground in front of him while his knee is bent slightly as it stands underneath him, firmly planted onto the ground. His left hand, hangs loosely in the air a little ways away from his face while his right is down in front of his abdomen. It wasn't perfect, but it was perfect for him. He hoped.

Starting with the first two steps, he first moved his left hand down and his right hand up (redirects jabs). Then, after two beats, he moved his right hand to the left and his left to the right (blocks hooks and haymakers). Without pausing, he then pulls his right fist back into a 'jab' before he launches it forwards before he throws his weight to the side, turning the jab into a right hook. Though he wasn't done with the attack. Not by a long shot.

He continues with the circular motion and spins into a reverse roundhouse kick then drops low into a sweeping kick. After that, he goes onto his hands in a handstand, moving his hands to help carry the circular momentum into a full on spin making sure to lash out his kicks at certain intervals. After three more volupular strikes, he then moves his body slightly to the side and, with a perfectly timed step, landed on his right foot. His body now upright, feels the rush of blood go up to his face as he kept spinning. Bad combo. Very bad.

He was knocked off course and landed on the ground, coughing slightly. "D-darn it." He says, covering his mouth the best he could. "I-I. R-really need to w-work on that."

And so, there he lay again. On the earthen floor, staring up at the lit sky. 'Dang. This… This really hurts.' The pounding of his heart penetrates his eardrums with its rampant banging and punches painfully against his chest plate.

Taking big deep breaths, he tries to assuage his heartbeat from hammering away at its prison as he tried to think. On what? He didn't know. Honestly, why think about anything. Why can't he just stay here lying where he was and forget everything? That would be the easiest thing to do. Just rest up a little. He owed himself that much right? But he knew that he couldn't- no- he wouldn't do that to himself.

So, with a sigh, he started to raise himself up again and this time he picked up the discarded kunai off to the side and started walking towards the practice targets that had already had kunai sticking out of them when he suddenly felt a presence on his blind spot. He quickly ducks down and out, before twisting his body, the kunai going with the momentum when it was stopped abruptly by a single hand.

"Woah there, buddy." A lax tone of voice states, an amused tone to his voice that made Kosetsu smile knowingly at who it was. "That would have been bad if you were a few more seconds faster. You're improving."

Kosetsu looks up to meet the voice before him and that's when emerald connects with midnight blue. His eyes widen in delight and the smile grows even more brightly, as he takes in the chunin uniform of his friend/tutor, not really able to believe it was him. "T-Tsukiko-sensei?!" He exclaims. A rarity for those who didn't know him.

"Hey there, Snowball." The now named Tsukiko greeted the awestruck boy with a shit eating grin, eyes alit with mirth. "Miss me?"

**I**

"Jeez Snowball, what did I tell you about training out so late." The older boy admonished the younger as he looks up towards the darkening sky, body feeling a little bit heavier due to having to carry the academy student on his back. "It's not healthy to train yourself into the ground, ya know." He lightly admonished, clicking his tongue in apparent disappointment. "I mean, do you _wanna_ end up like that Sasuke kid? I heard he's pretty much a brooder." He shivered at the thought. "I don't think I can take an emo Kosetsu." Hell he could hardly handle the gloomy Kosetsu. There _is_ a difference between brooding and being gloomy…. He thinks.

Odayakana Tsukiko is a lightly tanned young man in his late teens with a mop of black hair and midnight blue eyes that goes with an angular face, devoid of baby fat, but has slight acne. He stands at an average 5'12 and wears the, newly acquired, chunin uniform upon his body, over the black long sleeved shirt that every chunin/jonin tends to wear with the black pants and sandals. Around his neck is the leaf headband and upon his hands were a pair of black gloves.

He was a lot of things: awesome, handsome, extremely likable, a genius, intelligent beyond his years (things only he calls himself). Though not most of his class see him this way and yet he doesn't know why. Snowball at least seemed to think he was the coolest guy ever. That counted for _something_ right? It wasn't just because he was his tutor right... _Right_?

Though, all of what he said only managed to do was get a mumble of acknowledgment and a huff before he went back into silence. After the initial excitement of seeing his only true friend, his little heart wasn't really able to enjoy the moment with Tsukiko because if there's one thing he knew, it was that the older teen would see past his facade and try to get him to open up with his problems. All he could do now was prolong it as long as he could.

"Ugh… Why does walking hafta be so booooring." He whines to his companion, jostling him a little, to both distribute his weight on his back more evenly as well as trying to get his attention. "You could at least say something ya know," He starts, a bit accusingly to his ward on his back. "instead of leaving me alone to my thoughts meanie."

He half expected him to shoot a reply back to him, some sort of smart aleck (but not very good) comeback, but he never got one. Tsukiko glances over to his friend only to see his head low and eyes drawn down to the ground causing him to frown heavily.

Ever since they had walked away from the Academy, he couldn't help but notice something was off about him. It was from the way that his eyes had seemed clouded over after the initial surprise from seeing him he sort of just… Retreated into himself and wouldn't rise up to any of the barbs and occasional topics he would normally like to talk about. Yeah, something was really off because if there was one thing he knew about the kid, was that he would always try to hide his pain away from him so that he didn't want to talk about it. He chews the inside of his bottom lip, wondering if he should ask. Normally he would do it without hesitation, but this time… It just seemed...Different… in a way.

However, as soon as he notices his indecisiveness, he rolls his eyes at himself. 'Oh, come on. Don't tell me you finally grew soft and considerate towards others' feelings.' He chided himself as he shakes his head. No, that most certainly won't do. He has to cleanse himself of this, this humanity. He was never much of a thinker anyways, he usually left that to his super hot teammate while he did the ol' razzle dazzle. Time to test the waters and then dive headfirst into the deep end!

"So Kosetsu~." He sings happily, seemingly 'unaware' of the twitch and tension in his younger friend's shoulder. "What's up?"

On the inside, Kosetsu was panicking. He knew how Tsukiko gets whenever he sings his name. He'll pursue the answer until he either gets it from him or sings horrible songs (his vocals were so incorrigible). Thinking quickly, his eyes moved this way and that until he finally landed his eyes on the vest his older friend was wearing. "What's up with the vest?" He asks back, trying to play innocence on this. Maybe he could get him to talk about himself, he always went on long and rather boisterous monologues about his greatness.

Unfortunately for him, however, he saw straight through it. Narcissistic he may be, easily manipulated he is not. "I got it from being a part of the Chunin Exams a month ago. But that doesn't mean that this conversation is over with, buddy. So start talking."

'Of course he wouldn't fall for that… Why am I not surprised.' He groans and , seeing no way out of this, he sighs reluctantly and opens his mouth, telling him everything that had happened today at the academy

And to say that Tsukiko was mad was an understatement. He was particularly livid! How dare that blonde bitch do that to the already messed up kid. Oh when he sees her, regardless if she was the daughter of a council member, she'll be getting the harshest, most severe…

"... But when I got back to the classroom," Kosetsu broke through the fierce revenge plot formulating in the dark haired chunin's head. "she had a black eye and a busted lip. I don't know who did it, but… Why w-would anyone stick up for me?" His voice was quiet towards the end, going back to his stuttering that Tsukiko absolutely hates to hear in his friend. He had hoped he was rid of it completely by the time he got back, but of course that was an impossible dream. He was at least thankful it wasn't as bad as when he was younger.

'I'm sorry Kosetsu. I wish… I wish I can help you more than I have…' "Hey…" Tsukiko says softly, catching his attention immediately. "How about we head on to Ichiraku's, I heard tonight's 50% off."

Without thinking, Kosetsu just nods his head. "A-alright…" He whispers. 'Dang it… Why… Why do I always do this to him…' Kosetsu thinks angrily. Once again, he brings the normally cheerful Tsukiko down, just because he had a bad day. It was at times like these that he just… He just can't help but…

Unknown to him, Tsukiko was having similar thoughts as him. 'What can someone like me do, Kosetsu…'

**But Feel Helpless?**

When his head finally hit the pillow on his bed in his room, Kosetsu lets out a groan. The events that had transpired today all came crashing down on top of him. From Ikigomi's hurtful words to Uzumaki's confusing words then to Tsukiyo's helpful hand, it just left him feeling emotionally drained. Let's not even forget to mention his parents.

A tired sigh escaped his lips as he stares up at the ceiling, head spinning with rampant thoughts on the matter. He breathed deeply, turning onto his side away from the ceiling and just about everything else. But, in doing so, he spies the black journal that he had written the day before.

Those words he wrote… It would be a lie if he said that he didn't feel that way. Heck, nothing has really changed for him to make him think otherwise. 'Well… Except for Tsukiyo… And even if it pains me to admit as much, Uzumaki.' He just shakes his head in frustration as he thought about the words of his blonde haired classmate. The words he told him, still fresh in his mind.

"_Yeah… I deserve that, hell… We deserve it since we really did nothing to stop it."_

"_I just wanted… To say I'm here for you now. You know… That you have a friend in me if you ever need it." _

"Grr." He growls lowly, slamming his hands over his eyes as he grabs his hair. 'Dang it! I hate this!' Everything. All the indecisiveness, all of the left field confessions.

He hated how he reacted. He wishes he could be someone different, someone who is stronger than his current self. He needs it. Not just a mask to appear like he still has it, but an honest to goodness

**~Flashback~**

"_Moony." Tsukiko told him, over their bowl of ramen and effectively breaking the awkward silence between them. Once Kosetsu's eyes met his, the young boy could tell, just by looking into those dark blue eyes, that what he had to say was something that he needed to hear. The way he sat, that look in his eyes, and even the way he had said his nickname, told him that he was serious. _

_Once aware that he had the Academy student's attention, he continued. "I know you weren't always like this. I know that you used to be happy and silly."_

_A sudden image of his younger self, carefree and optimistic as he was, flashes behind his closed eyelids with his big signature grin on his face._

"_All kids are that way to begin with, especially when you have friends to make everything else disappear. Both the good and the bad." _

_How he used to laugh. How he was on top of the world and how nothing could ever bring down his high horse. He was invincible and he had his two friends there if his armor almost cracked…_

_He pauses to contemplate his next words. "I can't pretend to know what you're going through and to try and make you feel better. To make you, _you _again."_

_What he wouldn't give to have that back. To have them back. To have _himself _back._

"_Because ever since that day. I've grown to like you, Moony… You're my friend and I can't help but feel helpless when you're sad like this… So… I'll try my best to have the old you back." _

"_Because to me, you deserve to be happy. You go through so much pain. You go through so much hardship. And yet you're still here surviving. Still hoping that one day they could come back for you." He breathed in deeply before looking him in the eyes once again. "Hoping that something like _that _never happens again."_

"_Listen Kosetsu." His voice was deadly serious as his eyes shown a strong determination in them. "I can't be there for you all the time. I'm sorry. But… what I can do is try to be there." At this, he points to his heart. "In your heart so that you can draw upon my strength. So you can pull on me when you need me the most. So that way… even when I'm not there, I'll still be there." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he lets out a nervous chuckle._

"_So I guess what I'm saying buddy. Use me for your strength. Use me to help you. Cause… I want to help you. I want you to smile a real smile." The words were said with so much conviction that Kosetsu's heart skipped a beat. Pausing for a bit, he couldn't help but scratch his cheek absently. "Man… That was really cheesy of me to say, huh?" _

_He turns his head to the floor, thinking over his words. It was weird… To hear him say that. So, very unlike him to put everything out onto the table without cracking one single joke (except for the end of that, but he was willing to let that slide for now). There was a lump in his throat, and he tried for it to disappear, but failed completely. _

_For the second time that day, Kosetsu cried. Though for an entirely different reason than earlier. Because this time, he felt lighter. As if a small weight was lifted from his already burdened shoulders. _

"_Aah!" Tsukiko freaked out, eyes wide in a panic as he tried to placate the weeping boy. He was beginning to draw attention from the others in the stall and he did _not _want to deal with the questions of why the kid started crying." "Stop crying before Ay-!" _

"_HEY WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO POOR Kosetsu-CHAN TSUKI!" Screamed the daughter of the cook of Ichiraku, Ayame. _

"_W-WAIT! PUT THE LADLE DOWN, AYA- AAAAAAHHHH!"_

**~Flashback End~**

The memory of the incident at Ichiraku's puts a small smile on his face, but the words that were said, while said with good intentions, still thrust his mind in turmoil. Tsukiko had been there for him when he needed it the most. He was the friend that cared for him and looked after him. But then he had been promoted and left him alone again. While he knew it wasn't his fault, it still hurt him. He was being selfish, but he could care less at that moment. It's just…. Tsukiko wasn't there. 'He's almost never there…' He grits his teeth in frustration at his own thoughts.

He knew he wouldn't be able to do what Tsukiko had asked of him. He didn't like accepting anyone's pity and regardless of what the older teen had asked of him, it was still pitying in its own way. And after being on his own… only having _them_ for support. He was used to having this feeling. As sad as it was. He wanted to deal with this because he deserved it. He wasn't worth Tsukiyo's strength.

Just like he wasn't worth Ikigomi's and Ochiba's friendship.

It was like a never ending cycle, a storm without pause. They turn and churn, (the memories of the past and the present) until they just get meshed together, leaving him with a massive headache. A weary sigh leaves his lips as he sits up and slips silently off his bed, his bare feet touching the soft carpet of his room.

It wasn't much. There was a desk on the far corner of his stands next to a bookshelf that holds all of his scrolls and books on chakra while on his desk was a picture of old times. His bed rests against the wall, opposite of his desk and bookshelf, but is right next to the window that he uses sometimes to escape from everything and just feel at peace.

On the other wall, the one a few feet away from the foot of his bed, was his closet that held his dark clothing. The floor was oaken and the carpet the color of a soft, woolen black which goes with the pale gray walls that surrounds his room. It was simple, just the way he liked it.

Once he stands up, he makes his way towards the window, his black warm up pants, swishing slightly with the movement. He swings it open softly because there was always a loud creak that escapes the hinges whenever it was pushed harder then normal. When it was opened enough to where he could fit through, he slips out of the window and, with catlike grace, lands on the ledge below soundlessly.

He leans back against the wall, head thumping lightly against the wood as he rests it against the side. He tilts his head up, slightly, his eye closed and lets the moonlight wash over him. The tranquil serenity of his surroundings calms down his mind and he relaxes just a little bit, enjoying the warm feeling in the pit of his stomach.

And he would have continued to enjoy it too, if it wasn't for the heavy load that had landed on his lap.

Opening his eyes in shock, he looks around wildly, wondering if they were the assassins coming back to finish the job, but no. It's his number one weakness. The one thing that would, and could, bring him down to his knees in seconds. Something that is both cunning and mischievous yet beautiful and graceful. It was something that would, one day, bring upon his undoing. And all it had to do was one simple thing.

"Meow~."

He stared.

A beautiful black cat gazes at him from his lap with big innocent yellow eyes, tilting its head to the side adorably. It's black fur glistens in the light of the moon, giving it an elegant look. It raises its right paw, only to put it back down on his stomach lightly. "Meooow?" It calls again, a lilt in its voice making it sound curious.

He blinked.

"Yoruichi-chan~" he cooed, happily, as he brought the sleek black cat up to his chest and cradled her close to his chest as he rubs his cheek against her head. "I missed you so much~" he sings to the content cat, whom, by the sound of her purring, felt rather pleased at the affection given to her by the boy. "You're just as cute as ever!" He exclaims, putting her head against his chest and petting her soft fur.

Yoruichi was his first feline friend that he had ever made from all the way back to since he was five years old when he had saved her. Ever since, the cat would usually be seen with him outside of the academy. Though he hasn't seen her for about three days.

'Wait a minute.' He frowns a bit as a sudden thought strikes him, causing him to pause in petting the feline in his grasp and a low growl from the cat as she felt the loving hand of her pseudo master stop giving her the needed affection that all cats are naturally born with. 'Yoruichi's here, but… Wouldn't that mean that-'

All of a sudden, a mass of black covers his head surprising him much like Yoruichi's had (he also, briefly, wondered how the heck he had failed to sense the them). He picks the cat up off of his face and looks into the yellow eyes of another black cat (though this one's was a shade lighter than Yoruichi's). However, the difference between this one and Yoruichi is that this one had a witches hat on the top of its head. A hat that he had given her six years ago when he had saved her too, but that was… Something he would like to avoid thinking about.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." He clicks his tongue while shaking his head at the other feline. "Blair-chan, why are you always doing that?" He asked, only getting a blink in return. Kosetsu sighed exasperated by his wayward kitty. "Oh, What am I going to do with you?"

"Meow." _Sorry, but I can't help but do it. It's fun sneaking up on you_. Blair replies.

Kosetsu eyes narrow. "Why do I have the feeling that you're messing with me."

"Meow." _Because I am and it's hilarious._ Oh she loved humans. Especially this one the most. He was so adorable.

He rolls his eyes. "Blair. Why can't you be more like Yoruichi? Or maybe even Kuro?" A brief image of the black cat that had his tail split by a chef who had thrown a butcher knife at him appears in his mind. He's a good cat, loyal to a fault and was a very good friend that let him hold onto him whenever he was feeling sad."Huh, I wonder how he's doing?" It's been awhile since he's seen his other pal. He missed him a ton and guys like them had to stick together to overpower the amount of feminism that Yoruichi and Blair exudes.

"Meow." …_Kosetsu… _Yoruichi calls.

Eyes alighting on his other cat he breaks into a marvelous smile. A feat that would bring everyone's eyes towards the boy as it seemed to radiate with a special and unique kind of warmth. "Well. I'm sure he's fine wherever he is… Knowing him, he's probably out there catching fish out of the pond I showed him." A fond look is in his eyes as he thinks of the various antics Kuro could be up to. "Besides, he'll come back. It's not like he'd abandon me."

"Meow." _...No… He wouldn't…_ This time it was Blair, a sad undertone to her tone.

"Well. C'mon you two." He starts to get up, bringing his other two cats with him, one in each hand as he jumps up to his windowsill using chakra for the jump and to stick to the sill. "Let's go to bed."

As he lays down in bed with Blair on top of his head and Yoruichi on his stomach, his right shoulder feels empty without the weight of Kuro on it. However, it was quickly replaced by the nostalgia of the moment. How even after two of his closest friends left him and then gaining a friend only to lose him time after time again, there was only these beautiful and loving beings to help him in his time of need. To be there for him. It brings a smile to his face, the warmth of his cats.

And he felt content that nothing could take that away from him.

* * *

**Hey guys, been awhile. But like what my first chapter said, there will be long stretches of time where I just can't write because I'd just feel burnt out. Honestly I wasn't really feeling even getting this chapter out because I just felt dead in a way. So I guess you're wondering why do I continue writing if that's the case? Simple really, I love to write and I can't not stop yanno? And while my storytelling does suffer because of it, I still can't help but want to do this because it's something I love. So if this seems like a step down from the first one, I'm truly sorry. I know it's really edgy and comes off as angsty but there's not much I can do considering this is a rewrite and I'm basically just using the same material just tweaking it in certain ways. **

**I'm going to be adding new segments just to get rid of all the sadness and all because while this story does focus on broken bonds and huge character flaws, I also want to hit on some happier beats like the end of this chapter because not everything has to be gloom and doom. Thank you to those who are still reading this and thank you for sticking with me, really I appreciate it so much and if you can put up with my inconsistent updates then I love you. I will be adding more/taking some content from this chapter as I see fit just so that I can flesh it out in a way that is better for those who are coming off of the first chapter as well as for myself because I know I can do better and I have no excuses. So expect some changes to this one as well as a new chapter in the future. Thank you all!**

**Fukuro D. Nox signing off!**

**P.s. Regular users and Beta's are welcome to dm me about the story ;)**


End file.
